Blindness (2008)

directed by Fernando Meirelles

with: Mark Ruffalo, Julianne Moore, Gael Garcia Bernal, Danny Glover, Alice Braga

based on a novel by Jose Saramago

An epidemic of white blindness is spread in a city, infected people are being held in quarantine. An allegory of the modern world.

At first, I was hesitant about watching this movie because I had read the book and had found it very enjoyable for its well written prose and intelligent allegories that teach about human nature. I thought it was extremely hard to make a film about it and that anyone who tried would fail, even Meirelles, who I like. It surprised me because the film does stick to the essence of the book and it does contain the important parts and it's entertaining. I felt at some points that it was too Americanized, like if Meirelles was given a list of necessary things that chaotic and dramatic movies must contain in order to be more accepted (and it wasn't). It is not as honest as 'City of God' or 'City of Men', but it's acceptable. It is cruel and violent enough to represent the ideas of the book, but never too morbid or gruesome to be considered offensive. I disliked the cast and their acting, but in general, it is a good movie. Read the book!

Approach with caution.

Rating: 5/10